Unrefined Dining

“Really, the yokels here are so unrefined”, complained the kitty witch after ordering her meal. “I know, I happen to be Beatrice, the great witch of miracles but staring like that is just so uncouth!”

“They sure are”, I agreed politely. As it turns out I was not made to eat out of a bowl...yet.

While I personally found the dining terrace of the dorm perfectly acceptable, Beatrice insisted to take me out to a ritzy establishment in the noble hill district of Rasheul. She even magicked some fancy looking butler clothes on me. I wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about them but it was better then nothing.

Beatrice looked at me amused and swirled her glass of wine. “I suppose this isn't particularly your regular stomping ground either.”

“Not really”, I admitted. “I'm from northern Helman. Kirk, a small village to the north of Yankutsk.”

“Dreadfully cold region.” Beatrice shuddered. “Is it true that Helmanians eat their own infants during a harsh winter?”

“O-of course not!” Where did she learn that nonsense?

The witch nodded. “Then, I am pleased that Helman has given up on its barbarous ways.”

“Are you from Leazas?”, I asked. “Please don’t believe everything your government tells you about us.”

“Nope. It is perhaps a bit cliche, but I hail from the Kingdom of Zeth, the capital in fact.”

“I suppose that explains your penchant for slavery.”

The magic Kingdom of Zeth was infamous for its two class system, treating non mages as second class citizens. While slavery was practiced in the Free Cities, it was lived and breathed in Zeth. Their whole society was built upon exploitation.

Beatrice took the insult with ample grace. “Make no mistake. I personally have no love for zethenian values.” She grinned and swirled her wineglass some more. “I am not your master because I can use magic. I am your master because I am simply superior to you in every regard. You can tell as much with a single glance."

All I’m glancing is a haughty kitty.

I couldn't help but sigh as I took a sip of my own very expensive wine. “This arrogance of yours will come to bite you someday.”

Beatrice merely grinned at that. “Will you protect me when that time comes?”

“Protect you?” That gave me pause. What a weird question to ask out of the blue. “Not that I have a choice.”

“You do.”

“I am your ****. You can just command me to.”

“Which is one thing I will never do.” Beatrice was studying her glass. “I will probably demand a lot of things from you. Most of them completely self indulgent. But I will never **** you to fight or die for me. That decision will always be up to you, Mari.”

For a moment I was at a loss for words. It didn’t look like empty rhetoric either. Beatrice seemed genuine in this. By now, this should go without saying but this woman was a walking contradiction.

“Cat got your tongue?”, the witch asked with a smile and I almost choked on my drink. “Come on, try to relax! No need to be nervous.”

“Y-yeah”, I stammered. “It’s just…”

“Maybe I overdid it a bit earlier”, Beatrice admitted. “Despite being born in Zeth I actually never owned a ****. I might have gotten a tad too excited.”

No. Don’t do this to me.

The witch sighed. “I understand that this is a difficult situation for you to adjust to. I will try to be somewhat more reasonable with you in the future, alright?”

Don’t make me feel guilty for doodling on your face! “Y-Yeah, that would be nice.”

“Splendid”, the witch nodded pleased. Our dinner arrived, with the waitress trying very hard not to giggle. “Now, let us enjoy our meal.”

The indeed very tasty dinner passed without incident and after we made our way back to the dorms.

…

..

.

“Oh, you two are back?”

Femto was lazying around on the bed, Cassandra was on said bed as well. Only, she didn't look particularly...alive.

“She is fiiiine”, Femto assured us. “And meow.”

“Yes, I know. I look spectacular.“ Beatrice elegantly curtsied. “You would do well to learn a thing or two when it comes to fashion sense from me.”

Femto nodded. “I guess the cat’s out of the bag, I just can’t compete with you when it comes to feline grace. Your make up in particular is just purrfect.”

Please stop.

Beatrice smiled pleased and utterly oblivious. “Yes, well, I am going to take a bath.” And off she went.

The moment she left, Femto gave me the biggest grin. “Wow! You are a bold one, aren't you?”

I shrugged. “Just my way of paying her back. By the way, no more sleazy salesman persona?”

“No way, that's way too exhausting to keep up if I didn't aim for a deal.” The devil rolled around and hugged herself to Cassandra as if she was a body pillow. “Just treat me like your average cute neighborhood devil girl.”

Yeah right. “We probably should...talk. About, you know, everything.”

“We should.” Femto nodded and squeezed her Dakimakura. “But Mari?”

“Yes?”

“You are so fucked.”

The dorm rooms have magic soundproofing. It should thus be impossible to hear a sound from a different room.

However.

Nobody told this to Beatrice's vocal cords.